Monday, July 27, 2009

Poland Sunday, August 2nd

This Sunday is Poland Sunday! From 9-10:15 a.m. in room 271 we're going to give you a picture of what God did, plus we're going to dance!

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Poland Sunday

It seems just like yesterday we were leaving our friends and heading to Krakow in the yellow van. Time flies! We are excited to announce that Poland Sunday will be Sunday, August 2nd from 9-10:15 a.m. in room 271 at Southern Gables Church! We can't wait to share with those of you who can make it all that God did on our trip!

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Partnering together

One of the greatest joys of going to Poland is partnering with a local church. This year we worked with a new youth group after having a great 7 years with a church in Zielona Gora. Here is our team at the city square in Skoczów before we left for camp!


Friday, July 10, 2009

Laura is speaking @ Southern Gables

I am so excited that Laura is getting the chance to speak to our spiritual community this Sunday in our worship services!

WOOOHOOOOO!!!!!

I can't wait to hear what she is going to share!

Thursday, July 09, 2009

2009 English Camp Group Picture

Here is our camp picture at the train station for English Camp 2009 Stories!


Wednesday, July 08, 2009

HOME!

We're home after an amazing trip! Our flight was awesome! I can't believe it's the first time I've flown Lufthansa over! Goodbye LOT Polish Airlines! We were greeted at the airport by a great group and all of our luggage arrived!

We are so grateful for our experience. More will be coming in the days ahead here as students will be blogging about life after the trip. I am excited to hear how they've changed as a result of what they experienced.

Monday, July 06, 2009

Coming Home

I am in Krakow right now with the window to my room open and the loud sounds of the city life are picking up as darkness falls. I am so grateful for all that I've had the privilege to see God do the last two weeks the lives of our students! This blog has been an attempt to give you a peek through our window of service here in Poland. We can't wait to come home and tell you more!

If everything goes well we'll be at DIA shortly after 4 and we're looking forward to seeing all of you there to pick us up! Don't forget to check with Lufthansa to find out whether or not our plane is delayed!

We'll see you all in 26 hours!

Goodbye

Hey everyone! Last but not least, it’s Jensine!! So, yesterday was our last day with most of the campers from Skoczów and it was a blast… and exhausting. After we got back from our very long train ride, we went straight home with our host families. I was very lucky and very grateful to stay with Daria! When we got to her house, her parents fed me right away! Then she took me around her home town Szczecin and showed me some historical cites and some AMAZING views of the city. She also took to the Czech Republic! I WAS SO EXCITED! We of course had to get some lody (ice cream) before we headed to the campfire. There was so much to do and so many people to hang out with, and not enough time. We played football, baseball, did some crowd breakers, and stood in the Wisla(Vee-swa) river. But I would have to say that my favorite part was getting to eat Kielbasa for dinner and making a very funny video of the song Free Fallin’ with Jen. You will have to see it when we get back! I did not like the end of the campfire though… that’s where the goodbye’s began.
That night I went home with Daria and we had amazing smoothies while getting on facebook really fast to let people know that I am still alive. Today when we got to the church it started to hit me…I was going to have to say goodbye to so many amazing and wonderful people. When we first arrived I was fine. Everyone was laughing and having a good time. Once the vans pulled up I started to tear up immediately, but I didn’t start sobbing until Pryscylla came up to me! I gave her the biggest hug that I could give and the floodgates opened. I could not believe I was leaving all these people. I ended up being the last person in the vans because I was trying to get a picture with everyone I could.
We also had debriefing today which wasn’t easy either. It seemed like I couldn’t NOT cry, but it was very good to talk about what went on with ourselves through this trip. After we got done with debriefing, we went straight for the square for one last time. I was able to experience a lot of things through this trip like building tons of new relationships, realizing what I can do to help build God’s kingdom, ways that I can better my relationship with Christ, and so many other things. But the most important thing that happened this trip was that I found myself. I found more of who I am and I also had a big realization that I wish would have hit me a long time ago. I realized that even though sometimes I may not believe it or feel it, I am beautiful inside and out in God’s eye’s and that’s all that matters. I always knew that in the back of my mind that this was true but I never really believed it… until now. But anyways, WE ARE COMING HOME TOMORROW!!! So I guess I will see you all then, please pray for us and our travels that we all make it home safely. Thanks you all for all of your support and God Bless!
C’YA!!!
P.S. I was just kidding mom and dad about cleaning my room! :P

Saturday, July 04, 2009

July 4th in Poland

We are missing the BBQ's and fireworks today! Today we've had some free time in the morning after several of the students went to the beach to see the sunrise at 4:36 A.M. That's right...as the sun was setting in Littleton it was rising here! During the free time this morning we uploaded some more videos and pictures of our time here at English Camp. We hope you enjoy them! We are cleaning the church right now, packing and heading to the train station around 4 p.m. We board the train at 6 p.m. and will arrive in Skoczów close to 7 a.m. We will be attending church Sunday morning and I get the privilege of preaching. We are excited t have one last chance to talk with the students about the story of God before they leave tomorrow morning!You'll hear from us after church tomorrow!

What REALLY Happens in a Beginner's English Class

Here is Tifani's class video! It won the crowd over! Andrew, the translator, is one of the pastors of the church we are working with! Tifani, Jon and Allison gave star performances!

No Gas Water Please

For Oscar night each English class had to create a video or skit for the theme night. Here is a commercial starring Bridget, Jen and Chad speaking Polish. In the commercial they are saying that the world would be a better place if there wasn't any water with "gas!" Bridget is drinking the gas water and Chad is drinking water without "gas." Gas = bubbles! Enjoy! The Polish students were roaring with laughter when we showed this!

Stirred Souls & Changed Hearts

Hey, it's Justin. Right now I am reflecting over the past seven days and where we have been and where we are. Over the course of this trip we have endured long hours of travel, jet lag, illness, language barriers, an incredibly busy schedule and we are all extremely exhausted. Just thinking about all that we have been through shows me Gods amazing providence and his grace and power working through us on this trip, but what I find truly amazing is not the endurance of difficult circumstance, but how God stirs the souls and changes the heart. The first time I set foot in Poland was as a student in 2001, and I had no idea what to expect, and I was blown away as I experienced God in a real and powerful way. Now that I have returned, assuming the role as a trip leader, I have seen God move again in a real and powerful way, both in myself and in the lives of our students. Seldom does God work in us the way that we expect him to, and even more seldom does he make such a process easy or comfortable. The greatest work God has done for me in Poland is showing me how to sacrificially live life in his service on behalf of others by giving the same grace and love He has given me. This is not easy, it is not comfortable and is not what I was expecting, but he is continuing the work he has started in me eight years ago, and I know he will be faithful to complete it. Leading has pushed me to understand grace and love to a much greater extent both in my own life and in the life of others, and just like he did eight years ago, God has once again moved in me in a real and powerful way. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Friday, July 03, 2009

Gospel Night @ English Camp

Day Seven! I can’t believe that we’ve already arrived at our finally day of English classes. When this morning opened up, we were told that following breakfast we would be holding classes on the beach. It truly was a delight, despite the fact that we weren’t able to focus much on the lessons. So, as not to fight the urge to have every topic in today’s lesson be completed to perfection or have those in my beginner’s class recite their beloved idioms, I chose instead to have them absorb the thrill of playing Ultimate Spoons on the beach!

The real thrill from today, however, came from the camps traditional soccer match between Poland and the United States. It was quite the first-time experience for me. Though we lost the game (1-6), nothing could have made the experience more pleasing than seeing Polish cheerleaders hooting and hollering for Team U.S.A. When we arrived back at camp, we were able to teach them the Cha Cha Slide and expose them to our classic smores. This day, America day, was exciting even for us because it was a refreshing reminder of what we miss so very much….home.

Once the evening program had begun, I was lost for words upon seeing how powerful the voices throughout the room were when we began to sing praises to God. To say the least, they were quite different than the faint voices we heard within the beginning days of camp. As Dan’s talk had come to a close, he begged the question to everyone in the room, “Do you want your story to be a part of God’s story”? Nearly an hour later, the room was and still remained full of the students and leaders. The only difference was that in place of blank faces and stares, there were tears. These student’s had been touched and, I feel, their lives had been dramatically impacted. I was proud to be a witness to what happened here in Swinoujscie. As much as I can’t wait to go home and see friends and family that have been on my mind day and night, I am grieved knowing that there will come a time to say good-bye to these wonderful new friends and family here with me now. Nevertheless, life goes on and I thank God every day that He is the keeper of my tomorrow.

Oh my! It’s 1:30 in the morning and Dan’s waiting to post this! Thus, to bed it is; for in less than three hours, we are going to the beach to watch the beauty of His majesty as the sun rises on the waters of the Baltic Sea. Thanks all for your constant prayers and support. Love always and forever.

Polska 6 - USA 1


Today we lost to Poland in our soccer match 6 to 1. Tifani came up with our lone goal of the game and Jensine made around 15 saves or the score would have been much worse.

Thursday, July 02, 2009

Oscar Night in Poland

Hey, it’s Jonny! What is up my English speaking peepizmos?! This place is crazy, in a great way though. Today was officially our last “normal” day. The morning started out with a great breakfast, who knew the Polish liked chocolate and cookie cereal every day?! *hint hint mom and dad*. English lessons were next and over the past week I have had an incredible experience with these kids. For part of our class we prepared a special video for “Oscar Night”, but we’ll get back to that later. Free time was amazing, the Poles were all taught a very special sport, American football, and they loved every minute of it. And, not surprisingly, they happen to be very good at it. For sports we ended up playing paintball, just. . . without the ball. I guess you could call it paint squirt but it ended up being an awesome game. For dinner we were treated with Greek Salad and Kielbasa sausages, and what meal is complete in Poland without bread and toppings? The evening program tonight was one of the most crucial on the trip. Tonight Dan introduced Jesus into God’s story. This element possesses so much potential as to change the way one thinks. Jadon shared a personal story and told everyone how Jesus had touched him in a great way. As discussion groups began to speak, Justin suggested our team pray for the groups’ conversations and that tonight, unbelievers would be impacted in a serious way. “Oscar Night” followed the evening program which was , in the word’s of the Polish, really fun “foshizzle”. In this night, each English class gave a presentation of a skit or video. There weren’t any real specifications but each one was filled with loads of comedy, I don’t think the laughter stopped once during the entirety of the presentations. Later, I was surprised to find out we would all be learning how to “Cha-Cha” dance, and despite my inability to move to a beat, the fun never stopped. All in all, today has been one of my greatest experiences in Poland and I’m so glad God sent us here. I hope this summary finds all of you doing well and Mom. . . I don’t think I made my bed before I left. I love you all and Brianne I’m sorry I couldn’t be home to see you, I can’t wait to see my mountains again!!! BYE!

Pictures

We've loaded up some new pictures from the past two days! Check them out on the side bar!

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Lighthouse, Pizza & Kielbasa

Hey, it’s Allison!!! Today we had a break from our English classes and took a trip to the tallest lighthouse in Europe! We took a ferry, a bus and there was a lot of walking involved. Everyone is exhausted, but we had a great time. After we visited the lighthouse, we had some amazing pizza for lunch at a restaurant. Then we had some free time to go shopping in town and hang out with the campers. During the evening program Dan talked about the plagues in Egypt, the Ten Commandments, and the prophets foretelling of the coming Messiah who would be the eternal King that would save their people. Mekayla shared a story tonight about her grandpa and it was awesome. During the second part of discussion the Poland team went outside and prayed around the church for the campers and everyone else included with the camp. Then, we took a mini trip to Germany which is about 2 minutes away from the church while the discussion groups finished. For dinner, we sat around the campfire eating kielbasa and some “American junk food” such as pop and chips. It was very good! We are ending the night with some games and relaxing with having fun with everyone. Dad, Mom, Joel, and Sidney, I miss you! See you in a week!!!

Hi from Świnoujście

Water sliding into the Baltic Sea

Hey it’s Erica! Today it’s Tuesday the 30th and we are half way through camp…it’s so crazy to think about! I have been really enjoying English class with Jensine and Jadon! It feels like the students are really starting to get engaged in the class activities, which is really exciting! Today the weather was sunny for the first time it feels like, so we were able to go down to the beach and play in the water and Chad taught some of the guys how to play baseball. It was fun to play with all of them…on the beach especially! We then had “water day” at the beach playing water balloon toss with beach towels and sliding down the HUGE slip n slide on soap into the water. In our evening program, Dan talked about Abraham and the story of Abraham and Issac. The students really seemed to be moved by it. We then had a question and answer time using questions from a question box that students filled throughout this week called “talk back.” All three of the pastors (Dan, Adam and Andrew) answered the questions. Tonight seemed, for me, to be the most difficult night of our trip thus far. I really needed that extra push to keep going when it really felt like students are not responding as well as I thought they would to my efforts of friendship. I was really breaking down emotionally it seemed. So I pulled out a letter from my sister Valerie that told me that she wrote it because she knew that today was going to be a difficult one for me and that when we feel so cast down we must keep going. It was so crazy that those words were totally how I was feeling. That is why, for heaven’s sake, we must delight in weakness, in hardships and trials, for when we are weak, and then we are strong. I can’t wait to see what God has planned for the rest of the week!